Patrick Kron, chief executive of French engineering group Alstom, has triggered a spat with Siemens by suggesting that the German group may have inadvertently allowed key technical know-how to leak out to Chinese companies through a high-speed trains partnership.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Kron said Alstom had been careful not to engage in China in joint ventures or collaborations that involved giving up in any meaningful way technology that could be useful to a Chinese partner.

Patrick Kron, chief executive of French engineering group Alstom, has triggered a spat with Siemens by suggesting that the German group may have inadvertently allowed key technical know-how to leak out to Chinese companies through a high-speed trains partnership.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Kron said Alstom had been careful not to engage in China in joint ventures or collaborations that involved giving up in any meaningful way technology that could be useful to a Chinese partner.

electricron wrote:Meanwhile, German workers and corporations earned money making trains for China. And people wonder why Germany is in better economic shape than France?

Technically Alstom has significant factories in Germany since they bought up a couple German companies over the last two decades. Their entire Coradia regional train and their light rail portfolio is produced in Germany. Cars for ICE trains (Alstom produces the restaurant cars for ICEs) and other "HSR" including 200km/h cars and locomotives too btw.